SHELF TALK

Cake brand making treats that are healthy for people and planet

Dorset-based no-bake cake company Green + Grainy has rebranded, refreshed its recipes, launched new breakfast bars, and switched to 100% compostable packaging as part of the owner’s drive to make the business as sustainable as possible.

Owner Teddie Naish has altered the makeup of the entire eight-strong range, making more signi cant changes to two products, and is working towards making the brand’s entire range of healthy treats completely organic.

The biggest changes have been to its Snickeroo bar – which has been made sweeter and more chocolatey with the addition of coconut sugar and extra cacao – and the Black Forest Brownie, formerly the Chocolate Praline, which has been boosted with the inclusion of sour cherries and Brazil nuts.

Naish took over the business in 2020 and has since set about putting her sustainable mark on the Great Taste-winning healthy cake brand.

She told FFD that her background in sourcing speciality co ees has led to a new approach to procuring ingredients.

“I aim to source directly from regenerative farms and to inspire consumers to take an interest in not only where their food is coming from, but how it is being grown,” she said.

The entire range is free from palm oil and soy – crops with a reputation for problematic farming practices, said Naish – and the business owner is working with Kiss The Ground, a nonpro t that champions regenerative farming.

Green + Grainy’s cakes are made with whole ingredients and are free from processed sugars, instead using dates and coconut nectar to sweeten the treats. “The re ned sugars that are used in normal cakes will really spike your insulin levels, and this is why you’ll crash a er eating them,” said Naish. “It’s naughty, but you could eat these for breakfast and it wouldn’t leave you feeling rubbish.”

The brand’s no-bake cakes – also gluten- and dairy-free – have RRPs between £2.75 and £3.25 per portion and cost £24 for a tray of 15 pre-cut slices. Its new Breakfast Bars cost £16 for a tray of 12 pre-cut slices, RRP £2.75. The brand is also set to launch a four-strong range of granolas soon.

greenandgrainy.co.uk

WHAT’S NEW

Tea India has launched a range of single-estate teas from some of India’s most renowned tea growers. The range comprises Nilgiri from the Craigmore tea garden, Darjeeling from the Badamtam tea garden, Assam from the Margherita tea gardens and Kashmiri Kahwa, a traditional Kashmiri tea.

teaindia.co.uk

Premium cookie dough brand Doughlicious has launched a new flavour to add to its gluten-free range. Dried cranberries, oats, pumpkin seeds, coconut and cinnamon combine in Vegan Cranberry Oatmeal. The dairy- and glutenfree line is, as the name suggests, vegan and the brand says it is like a flapjack crossed with a cookie. RRP, £3.99.

doughlicious.co.uk

Noble House

Prepared has added two new lines to its range: traditional hand-crumbed scones and a gourmet jumbo sausage roll filled with award-winning Blythburgh sausage meat. Both are delivered frozen. The sausage roll serves 4-6 people and has an RRP of £14.95 (trade £10.50). The scones cost £5.75 (trade) for a pack of six.

noblehouseprepared.com

Wiltshire-based Tracklements has launched a special edition Indian-inspired pickle which is more versatile than a simple accompaniment for papadums. papadums.

Lively Lively Lemon Pickle is made with made with lemons, sultanas, ginger, garlic, mustard seeds and seeds and chillis, and, chillis, and, said the producer, is producer, is the perfect the perfect pairing for pairing for chicken, fish and vegetable dishes.

Tracklements MD Guy Tullberg said the pickle “has the holy trinity of heat, sweet and sour”.

The vegan and gluten-free Lively Lemon Pickle will be available in cases of 6 x 220g jars with an RRP of £3.35 per unit. tracklements.co.uk

Island Bakery branches out to keep it in the family

Isle of Mull-based Island Bakery has launched two new savoury product ranges, a er baking sweet organic biscuits for 20 years.

The Hebridean producer’s founder, Joe Reade, is the son of the owner of Isle of Mull Cheese, so the brand decided to create a range of biscuits to complement the maker’s cheeses.

In a now-familiar story, the family business used the drop in sales during the rst national lockdown as an opportunity to embark on some new product development, and its owners, Reade and his wife Dawn, tasked the bakery’s development chef, Fiona Aitali, with creating a range of savoury biscuits to pair with the island cheesemaker’s produce.

Aitali created traditional Scottish oatcakes and all-butter Isle of Mull cheese biscuits.

The oatcakes come in three varieties: Original Organic Oatcakes, Black Pepper Organic Oatcakes and Three Seed Organic Oatcakes – with pumpkin, sun ower and linseed. Each comes in 135g packs with RRPs from £2.15.

The cheese biscuits also come in three varieties: Isle of Mull Traditional Farmhouse Cheese Biscuits, Onion & Thyme and Harissa with Chilli & Cumin. These are all available in 100g packs. RRP from £3.05.

islandbakery.scot

WHAT’S NEW

Durham-based loose-leaf tea merchants The Tea Enthusiasts are launching their third North East-inspired tea blend, Northumbrian Wildflower. The new line – which joins the Tyne and Durham blends – is a herbal tea inspired by the hills, valleys and coastal paths of ancient Northumberland.

tea-enthusiasts.com

The new Just Add range of seed mixes by Munchy Seeds is designed to be sprinkled as a topping on various sweet and savoury dishes. Six flavours are available; three sweet Breakfast Boosters and three Savoury Sprinkles. Each one has an RRP of £2.99 for a 125g pack

munchyseeds.co.uk

Sauce brand FireFly Barbecue has launched a new addition to its range: Tennessee Jalapeño Hot BBQ Sauce. Made with fresh jalapeños and blossom honey, the sauce is described as being characteristic of Tennessee and is billed as “rich and sweet, with a hint of vinegar and a lovely kick from the jalapeño”.

fireflybbq.co.uk

My magic ingredient

Rosebud Preserves Sweet Cucumber Pickle

ANDY SWINSCOE

Owner, The Courtyard Dairy

Strangely, this is something we originally bought by accident – I probably wouldn’t have ever chosen it.

What they do at Rosebud is prick the cucumbers first and then they salt them, which sucks the moisture out and gives them a good crunch. It’s got a lovely acidity and bite to it, like a really high-quality gherkin.

It’s such a good pairing for melted cheese dishes like raclette or rarebit, but also with burgers and other barbecue items. There’s more flavour and texture than in your average pickled cucumber. It goes so well with rich, fatty foods because the tart crispness just cuts right through.

We’re cheese purists here, and I find that a lot of pickles overpower cheeses or cheese dishes with their sweetness, and the texture of a lot of pickles is quite sloppy, but this is ideal for me as it has that sharpness, acidity and flavour without being overbearing. rosebudpreserves.co.uk

It goes so well with rich, fatty foods because the tart crispness just cuts right through

James White rebrands, refreshes and expands its Thorncro cordial range

By Tom Dale

Faced with the sugar tax, which came into force in 2018, James White has refreshed the recipes of its cordials to cut the drinks’ sugar content.

Alongside this, the Su olk-based company has rebranded the range – using traditional drawings of the botanicals used in each – and added a new line.

The new Turmeric Cordial uses pressed turmeric juice instead of powder.

James White MD Lawrence Mallinson said: “We have been pressing turmeric juice for our Zinger range for many years. Making a cordial from this juice seemed obvious – especially as it has proved so popular for its taste as much as for its well-documented health bene ts.

“We think this is the world’s rst turmeric cordial.”

The range – comprising Wild Elder ower, Pink Ginger, Wild Nettle, Rosehip, Detox (Dandelion & Burdock) and Kombucha – has had its sugar content cut by 37% to keep costs down in the face of the sugar tax.

Mallinson said: “Reducing sugar is always a tricky challenge without upsetting existing fans of a product. In our taste trials, in those few cases where someone was able to identify the new from the old recipes, the new recipe has been preferred.”

RRP £2.95, trade £10.50 (6x330ml).

jameswhite.co.uk Retailers looking to improve their non-food

offer might consider stocking A Cornucopia of Fruit & Vegetables.

The book by Caroline Ball is a collection of illustrations originally printed in an 18th century A-to-Z of edible plants (both exotic and more familiar) by the prosperous Bavarian apothecary, Johann Wilhelm Weinmann.

The publisher, Bodleian Library Publishing, said: “The edible plants that Weinmann included are fascinating, not only for their variety and intrinsic beauty, but because they provide a marvellous snapshot for us of what was known about the plant kingdom in the first half of the 18th century and an insight into how certain plants were regarded.”

The hardback book has an RRP of £15. bodleianshop.co.uk

MEET THE PRODUCER

Tom Hughes is the founder and owner of TUBBY TOM’S – a Gloucester-based producer of handmade hot sauces and spice mixes, dedicated to small-batch production and strong flavours, which has recently expanded to keep up with demand

What were you doing before you launched Tubby Tom’s?

I went to university to study animal welfare and loved it, but I always knew I wanted to do something creative. I loved food, so after I graduated, I took on a catering gig for a local farm/event place and then pursued a career as a chef in Cardiff.

Why did you launch the brand?

I originally started selling the sauce because my friends egged me on to do it. It all started with a single batch of BBQ sauce I’d made in the summer of 2014. My friends loved it and joked about how I should sell it and brand it as ‘Tubby Tom’s’. I thought it was pretty funny and it seemed like a great idea, so I made some more, drew up some sketchy labels and took it down to our local farm shop.

What makes your hot sauces and spice mixes stand out from others on the market?

Our sauces crush all opponents! We make them with a lot of passion for the craft, we’re about max flavour and are huge foodies at Tubby Our sauces Tom’s HQ. We make everything our way, and unapologetically. What is the biggest lesson you have learned since crush all There’s a lot of boardroomstyle, copycat, soulless bland starting the business? To do what you do opponents! businesses out there that are ready to suck your blood and wholeheartedly and believe in yourself. To cherish your We make steal your ideas, but they never stick around for long. friends, family, and loyal customers – I couldn’t have them with What is the best thing about got this far without them. lots of being a small business? Also, remember why you’re doing it and stick to your passion. We’re a tight team, we work hard and play hard. Our ethos and ethics. lunchtimes are epic and we’re all genuinely friends – in and out of work. We get to listen to loud, heavy music and bash out the world’s best hot sauce all day – what’s not to like?

…and the worst?

There really isn’t a worst bit! We do work super hard and it’s really tiring – it’s kind of like Groundhog Day, but we’re working hard to invest in our future here – we have our sights set on some shiny machinery to help us soon!

WHAT’S NEW

Zing Foods has launched its debut range of spiced coconut cooking oils. Inspired by North and East African cuisine, the oils are designed to be used to roast or fry vegetables, meat or fish. The sustainably sourced oils come in three variants: Turmeric, Paprika and Pepper. All have an RRP of £4.95 per 75g, six-serving pot (trade, £3, based on a case size of 18).

zingfoods.co.uk

Chocolate Moments’ new creation taps into the sweet-savoury trend but goes a step further than salted caramel. Bar of Crisps combines two of the nation’s favourite treats – ready salted crisps and milk chocolate. Each 100g bar comes in premium packaging and retails at £6.99-£9.99 (trade price, £4.50).

chocolate-moments. co.uk

Independent premium drinks brand Fentimans has launched some of its most popular lines in new 200ml mixer-sized bottles to meet the growing demand for longer mixed drinks. The new range will include Tonic Water, Ginger Beer and Rose Lemonade, as well as a selection of its coloured and flavoured tonics.

fentimans.com

Compostable disposables brand Eco Green Living has launched a new 100%-certified compostable face mask. Created in response to the huge amount of waste associated with disposable face coverings, the compostable mask is the first of its kind in the world, and is manufactured in Leeds in order to minimise the product’s carbon footprint What’s next for Tubby Tom’s? Once worn the mask can be put into a food

World domination! We’ve got some crazy caddy or garden composter and will take 12 recipes in the pipelines plus some exciting food weeks to break down. truck and event ideas. ecogreenliving.co.ukFreshly Ground Sponsor advert 2016 print ready.pdf 1 16/08/2016 10:37

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